Deception Is My Best Friend
by That Creative One
Summary: Koa, a young hunter who lives in a small tropical village, longs of being a Brawler. One day, Koa disguises herself as a male and becomes a Brawler. However, she never anticipated just how hard keeping her act up would be- especially since she's got her eyes on another Brawler. (Hopefully better than this awful description. Includes all Brawlers OC. First SSBB fic, no flames! R&R.)
1. Chapter 1

Finally, Koa was alone. After hours of work on the fields, she had finally managed to take her materials to a small shack used by almost no one. Koa would have preferred to do it somewhere else, somewhere more private, but the shack was right near the docks, which is where she would be headed directly after her "transformation".

Keiki'aina was a small village located deep in the tropical forests, made up of fishermen and farmers, the latter being much more common, staying true to the name "children of the land". News travelled fast around here, since the village was so small, so Koa knew she had to work fast if she didn't want to be caught.

Koa was, by the village's standards, a rather strange girl. At 16 years old, Koa had abandon the rigid gender roles of her village by begging her father to give her a predominantly male name and allow her to do the men's work on the fields instead of the usual women's work of making fish-hooks, twine, clothing, and other staples for the village. Her father had relented after a year of persistent pleading when she was just 12, changing Koa's name from Mahina to 'A'amakualenalena. For the next four years, Koa worked with the men in the fields planting and harvesting, on the beach fishing and setting traps, and mainly in the forest- Koa was one of the few hunters in the village who hunted the wild boar and other animals in the forests surrounding the village. For four years, Koa had pushed herself to her physical breaking point to strengthen herself, and spent any night when the moon shined practicing with her machetes. If she had the chance to practice hand-to-hand combat, she would have.

Now, Koa couldn't wait any longer. Four years of physical conditioning and practice with her trademark mbanjas would have to be enough. Finally, Koa felt she was ready to escape her village and her life as she knew it to become a Smasher.

The first time Koa had seen a Brawl, it had given her an adrenaline rush. It had made her wish she was in the fight herself. It was then Koa realized she had to be a Smasher. Knowing that the arena lie open for her, challenges in wait, Koa couldn't stay in Keiki'aina and spend her life as a farmer or fisher or hunter. She'd go mad.

Slipping inside the shack, the hunter made sure the wooden door was firmly latched shut before spreading out her supplies- a shard of mirror, a knife, and a length of coir, a fabric made from the fibers of the coconut tree. Koa quickly stripped off her shirt and began binding her torso as tightly as she could with the coir, flattening her small chest. There was no need to slip in extra clothing, since Koa regularly dressed in male work clothes- imagine trying to chase and hunt boar in a skirt! By now, the reader has most likely figured out what Koa was trying to do- disguise herself as a male.

There were very few female Smashers and most of them were well-known before their Smasher status, to some extent. A 16-year old girl from some small village in a corner of the world stood no chance of getting in. As a male, Koa at least had a sliver of a chance more than as a female.

Koa slipped her shirt back on, and paused before performing her next action. One of the few feminine features Koa liked about herself was her waist-length black hair- maybe she could just pin it up, keep it under a hat? No, Koa told herself. If you're going to do this, you have to commit to it. That means going all the way. The hunter lifted the knife and immediately a lock of silky black hair fell to the floor, followed by many more. Koa's hair now barely brushed the middle of her neck.

The now short-haired Koa stared at herself in the jagged shard of mirror. Her eyelashes weren't too long, but she'd cut them short if she had to. The only feature Koa had working to her advantage were her dark, heavy eyebrows. And, odd as it sounded, her body hair. Before formal events, the girls would run a razor-sharp blade along the surface of their legs and underarms to rid them of hair. There had not been any weddings or births recently in the small village, and Koa's legs were almost starting to resemble her father's.

Reminding herself the clock was ticking, Koa slid her two machetes in the strip of cloth tied her at her waist, along with the knife she had brought. Slipping out of the shack, Koa looked around quickly to confirm no one was watching and quickly sprinted to the docks, ducking behind another small shack where fishing supplies and nets were stored. A boat had just arrived, a foreign import ship where people were going on and off. Koa joined the crowd, trying to blend in as much as she could. Her disguise worked; everyone else's eyes slid right past her. Koa managed to make it below deck and into a storage room filled with sacks of grains and spices. The short-haired hunter wedged herself between and behind bags, making it impossible for anyone to see her. The position was less than comfortable, but Koa would simply have to deal with it.

After what seemed an eternity, the ship halted with such force Koa's head smacked into the sack in front of her. Footsteps were audible through the floor above her. Koa stood up and nearly fell back over- her legs were numb from being crouched in the same position for hours. After rubbing some feeling back into her legs, Koa stood up and joined the mass exodus leaving the ship. The dock people were exiting onto was huge- at least four times the size of the one in Keiki'aina. The amount of people talking created almost a deafening roar. What stuck out to Koa most, however, was the attire of the people surrounding her- people dressed in long blue or black pants and matching jackets with thin strips of cloth tied around their necks. Once a man wearing a similar get-up had come to Keiki'aina. Her father told her it was called a business suit. People wore them to look professional.

Speaking of clothing, Koa stood out like a sore thumb in the loose, cut-off beige pants, dirt-stained white shirt, and brown belt she would normally wear in the fields. And she was barefoot, while these people wore shoes made of leather, fabric, and materials Koa couldn't put a name to.

You're wasting time, the hunter told herself. She didn't have time to stand around and stare at people's shoes. Although Koa had less than no idea where she was, it was clear the Arena was somewhere nearby- large posters displayed the upcoming Brawl, Samus Aran versus Mr. Game and Watch. Koa worked her way off the docks and entered a nearby inn, stunned at first by the sheer amount of people dining in the first level alone- it was nearly half her village!

Reminding herself she had to move quickly, Koa walked over to a brown-haired man sitting behind a large desk. "Excuse me," Koa asked in what she hoped was a low, but not fake sounding voice. "Could you give me directions to the Smash Arena, please?"

Her voice and disguise fooled the man. "Of course, young man." The man pointed at the north wall. "There's a large road heading up north, you'll take that for roughly five miles. There you'll see a large billboard for the Smash arena next to a trail. Take that trail and keep walking until you see the Smash Arena- it's huge, you won't be able to miss it."

"Thank you." Koa quickly left the inn, repeating the directions over and over in her head. The north road was easy enough to locate, given the sign that displayed its direction. The hot sun beat down on Koa's exposed neck and heated the gravel beneath her feet, making it almost painful to walk. However, coming from a tropical village, the extreme heat was nothing new to Koa. And her mind wasn't on the heat, or even the long walk ahead of her, for a matter of fact. Instead the short-haired hunter was wondering what she would have to do to qualify for becoming a Brawler.

Would she have to fight a Brawler? Maybe there would be no fight, just a physical assessment and then they would let her in. Maybe there would be a test of some sort. And what would it be like meeting the Smashers? What would it be like living with them? Would they be friendly to her, or would they constantly act as if they were still in the Arena? Would Koa even become a Brawler?

For the next five miles, these questions swirled around in Koa's head, the only thought taking their place was that of the large sign displaying, yet again, the upcoming Brawl and the small rocky trail next to it. Koa followed the trail, relieved the rocks didn't soak up as much of the sun's heat as the gravel did.

This path was also infinitely shorter than the north road, and Koa had barely walked ten minutes' distance before a looming shape took place on the horizon. The signs were also increasing in frequency. Koa's heart began to beat faster. She was almost there.

Another painstaking twenty minutes later, Koa found herself at the doors of the Smash Arena. The building was huge- Koa had never seen such a large structure in her entire life. Although there was no Brawl currently taking place, the glass doors were open wide. Still in awe, Koa walked into the Arena.

The interior was nothing short of grand. Pale grey tiles covered the floor. At one end of the room were several plush white couches centered around a low mahogany table. There were several screens on the walls of the lobby, displaying profiles of the fighters in the upcoming Brawl and snippets of old Brawls. At the other end of the room was a reception desk that ran the length of the room. Currently, one ticket seller stood behind the desk. Koa approached him carefully, reminding herself constantly to stand up straight and walk with a purpose. This was her first impression, and possibly her last.

"How many tickets would you like?" The man asked, already reaching into a drawer and pulling out a handful of tickets. Koa swallowed hard before giving her response.

"Actually, I'm here to become a Brawler." The ticket-seller looked stunned by Koa's reply, but he quickly regained his composure and nodded. He stepped out from behind the desk and opened a door that blended in so well with the walls Koa hadn't seen it before now. He beckoned for the short-haired hunter to follow him.

"Krystal is in charge of our new recruits," The man explained as he and Koa walked down a dark, narrow hallway. "In order to qualify to become a Brawler, you have to defeat five Assist Trophies. If not, you go home. If you defeat four out of five, or Krystal thinks you're exceptionally good, you may become an Assist Trophy yourself." He paused and turned to Koa. "Do you have your own weapons?"

Koa nodded and unsheathed her two machetes. The man nodded and continued walking. "You'll be given a selection of weapons anyways, but it's always better to have your own." They had reached the end of the hallway. The ticket-seller opened the door and a blue light flooded the dark hallway. "Good luck."

Koa nodded her thanks and stepped inside the room, re-sheathing her machetes as she did so. A blue-furred animal resembling the foxes that sometimes stole meat from her village approached Koa, who was stunned to the animal walking on two legs like a human. "So, you're the new recruit?" The vixen questioned, placing her hands on her hips, covered by a tight purple suit. She raised an eyebrow, looking Koa up and down.

"Yes. And I assume you are Krystal?" Koa questioned, not allowing herself to be fazed by a talking fox. After all, if she became a Brawler she would have to be able to handle some diversity.

"Correct. First things first, what's your name?" Krystal asked.

"'A'amakualenalena Uhane, but I go by Koa." Normally were surprised by Koa's long name, but Krystal didn't bat an eye at its length.

"Well, Koa, do you know how to fight?" There was an edge to Krystal's voice now, one of doubt. Koa realized she probably looked like some random teenager off the street.

Now is my chance, Koa thought. She had to make an impression on Krystal. And she knew just how to do it.

What Koa did next would go down in Brawler history as either one of the bravest or one of the stupidest thing someone had ever done while trying to become a Brawler. Koa whipped out her knife and threw it at Krystal, tearing through the tight shimmery material of her suit and pinning a thread from it to the wall behind Krystal. "Can I fight? You tell me."

For a moment, the blue-furred vixen was stunned. The weight of what Koa did hit her like a ton of bricks. Now any chance of her becoming a Brawler had flown out the window.

Instead of kicking her out, as Koa expected, Krystal burst out laughing. "You've got spunk, kid. I like it." Krystal waved her hand for Koa to follow her, which she did after standing in shock for a moment. Krystal lead the hunter out yet another door to a large, outdoor arena. A sturdy yet well-worn wooden platform formed a large rectangle that was rounded at the ends, and a currently black screen hung above rows of seating. Koa looked around before realizing Krystal was gone. In place of the fox were several racks of weapons of all sorts.

"You can select as many weapons as you'd like, but choose wisely. You won't get to switch them out after matches." Krystal's voice echoed around the arena from a location Koa couldn't see her from. "If you want my advice, I would choose one long range and one short range."

One long range and one short range. Koa's machetes took care of short range, but her only knife was still embedded in the wall of Krystal's office. The hunter approached the racks of weapons, immediately heading for the throwing knives, but something else caught her eyes. A many-pronged circular throwing blade with a hole in the center. Something about it called to Koa. The hunter selected five of the unique weapons and backed away from the rack before she could chicken out.

"A shuriken," Krystal observed, a hint of approval in her voice. "Interesting choice." The weapon racks vaporized into thin air, leaving the arena bare except for a white cylindrical container, rounded at the top and giving off a faint blue light.

"That is your first opponent. Lift the case off and the Assist Trophy will appear." Krystal instructed. "Many have fallen to this one."

Koa carefully approached the Assist Trophy, which hummed with energy when she grew close. Firmly grasping the lid, Koa lifted the white casing off the trophy.

"BRAWL!"

~~~To Be Continued~~~

A/N: First chapter, out of the way! I know this one got a bit lengthy, but hopefully the next one will be a bit shorter. Koa is my character, so no stealing please! Hopefully updates will be frequent but Spring Break is almost over, so I'll try to get the majority of chapter two written today. Please review, constructive criticism and ideas are magical and taste like Pop-Tarts! Thanks for reading :)


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: GUESS WHAT? I FORGOT A SECTION AND I'M TOO LAZY TO RE-TYPE IT. HAVE FUN.

"BRAWL!"

The second the catalyst announcement was made, Koa dove into a backwards roll and came up on her feet with both machetes drawn. She quickly swept the arena in an attempt to see her opponents, to no avail. There didn't seem to be anyone other than Koa in the arena…

Bam. Koa fell flat on her face, her back stinging in pain. Struggling up, Koa realized her opponents were in the air. Sure enough, there were two small girls hovered in midair. One had short pink hair tucked back in a ponytail and wore blue and purple clothing, whereas the other had orange pigtails and wore a blue kimono dress. Both clutched dual cutlass swords.

They both simultaneously raised their swords and dove towards Koa, who barely rolled out of the way in time. As she did so, the short-haired hunter caught a glance of the screen, which now read _KOA VERSUS KAT & ANA_.

It was only now Koa realized the arena had changed. Now, she was standing on a cobblestone surface with grass peeking out the edges. The platforms were suspended in midair- two on either side of Koa and one directly above her head.

Koa refused to let herself get fazed by the change. She had to focus on the fight. For the next several minutes, there was a pattern of Kat and Ana hurling themselves at Koa and Koa dodging them- a pattern that was beginning to tire her out. Eventually Koa realized she would have to go on the offensive.

Waiting until the moment was just right, Koa dove forth with her machetes right as Kat crossed paths with Ana, landing a solid blow with the edge of the blade on Kat's back. The pink-haired girl cried out in pain, her back dripping blood. Koa's heart skipped a beat before she saw the blood fading and realized it was only pixelated, and not actual blood.

Kat landed on her hands and knees, giving Koa the opportunity to sprint forwards and place a barrage of punches and kicks to Kat's ribs, spine, and kidneys. Eventually the girl's eyes fluttered shut and her arms gave out.

"KAT DEFEATED!"

One down, one to go, Koa thought.

Koa turned to face her opponent and saw a flash of silver and blue, then a close-up of the ground, accompanied with a burning pain in her shoulder. However, the pain was already beginning to fade as adrenaline kicked in. The hunter quickly rolled out of the path of another attack and began to form a plan.

Even without her twin, Ana was quick and dangerous. Koa could try to use her machetes, but Ana probably expected that.

Time to change things up a bit, Koa smirked to herself.

The hunter quickly looked up to see Ana was preparing for another attack. Koa stood directly in her path, waiting, waiting…

There! Right as Ana raised her swords, she left her torso and stomach unprotected. Koa whipped out a shuriken and threw it with an accuracy she didn't know she possessed. The throwing star struck Ana right in the solar plexus and sent her plummeting.

Koa decided against hand-to-hand combat this time, knowing she could get the job done without wasting energy. Another well-placed shuriken to Ana's side ended the fight.

"ANA DEFEATED! The winner is...Koa!"

The hunter quickly ran to collect her shurikens. While she did, Krystal's voice appeared.

"Sorry about the sudden change of setting. Normally we announce the arena before the fight begins. But hey, this shows how well you think on your feet. Good job with those two. But this next one will be harder."

"Wait...are Kat and Ana…" Koa didn't want to say dead, because otherwise the amount of Assist Trophies would run out far too quickly to be used in Brawls. Thankfully, Krystal seemed to be on the same train of thought.

"No. All Assist Trophies regenerate after defeat." Krystal reassured her. "The arena will stay the same for the next four fights."

Good. Koa sighed in relief.

"Get ready, the next Trophy is here."

Sure enough, another Trophy laid in wait for Koa. She cautiously reached out to it and pulled off the white lid, immediately going into a backwards roll just as she had with Kat and Ana.

But that's where the similarities ended. Unlike Kat and Ana, this opponent was far easier to spot. Hovering about twelve feet away from the edge of the arena was a large, gray face with orange eyes. The face itself was all planes and angles, giving off a very machine-like appearance.

"BRAWL!"

Koa barely had time to glance at the screen,_ KOA VERSUS ANDROSS_, before a large, polygonal projectile came floating at her. It wasn't going blazing fast, but at a speed enough to have Koa on her toes. Andross seemed to be spitting out the shapes, which were mainly squares, and bigger than Koa herself. Every now and then, Andross would suck in more air and spit out more squares.

Knowing she couldn't waste energy this time, Koa quickly drew her shurikens and began throwing them at Andross. The polygon-spitting creature didn't even seem to notice the throwing stars embedded in itself. Growling with frustration, Koa dodged another large floating square and tried again- with no improvement.

The hunter's supply of shurikens was dwindling. No matter where the throwing stars embedded themselves, Andross simply didn't seem to feel pain. Koa reached for one of her three remaining shurikens and took a deep breath.

The throwing star whistled through the air and embedded itself in Andross's eye- the creature let out a howl of pain.

The eyes were the weak spot! Koa quickly threw her last two shurikens, praying it would be enough to take Andross out.

Koa's prayers were answered.

The gray face dissolved into nothingness. "The winner is...Koa!"

The hunter paused to catch her breath. The fight was over that fast? However, it had come at a cost. Koa was rendered to only her two machetes with three fights left to go. She hoped her next opponent fought at close range.

There was no commentary from Krystal this time, only a new Assist Trophy.

Koa pulled the lid off and performed her usual duck-and-backwards-roll, and came up standing to see a bright yellow star, floating close to the ground. It had a human face and grinned at Koa.

"BRAWL!"

Koa lifted one of her machetes, keeping the other sheathed in case she needed to use a shuriken, and charged at the star (apparently called Starfy, according to the screen reading _KOA VERSUS STARFY_). The second the blade made contact with the star, it began to rapidly twirl, causing a small energy field to form around it. The force caused Koa to stumble back, but she raised her machete and attempted a second attack anyways.

This time, Koa swept sideways with her machete, and the star skidded almost to the edge of the arena. She cautiously advanced and made another sideways sweeping motion with her machete, knocking Starfy clear off the edge.

"The winner is…Koa!"

Only one left, Koa told herself. Just one more opponent between me and becoming a Brawler.

The Assist Trophy appeared for the final time. Once the lid had been removed, a huge yellow-and-blue airplane of sorts soared out. Koa's eyes widened at the sheer size of her last opponent, and she had to duck to avoid getting hit by its enormous wings. The screen now read _KOA VERSUS HERLIRIN_.

"BRAWL!"

Herlirin soared to the other end of the arena and swirled around to face Koa. Seeing that is was making no offensive moves, the hunter charged forwards and leapt directly onto one of Herilin's wings. The movement tilted the plane and Koa nearly slid off. Scrambling for a grip on the smooth surfaced, the dark-haired girl managed to grip the edge of the wing with one hand and draw her machete with the other.

Slowly, Koa began to scoot forwards, ducking every now and then to avoid getting hit by one of the floating platforms. Finally, she had reached Herilin's "head"- the sphere that connected the two wings, adorned with a face. Crossing her legs underneath the wing to secure herself, Koa raised the machete in both hands and brought it straight down.

The blade sunk right into the yellow metal as if it were soft cheese. Immediately Herilin began to fall, and Koa barely had time to jump off before it plunged into the ground.

Previously a plane, the Herilin was now a mess of wires and metal. After a few bursts of sparks from some torn-open electrical circuits, the announcer exclaimed, "And the winner is...Koa!"

"Congratulations, kid." Koa whirled around to face Krystal, who stared at Koa with a gleam of approval in her eyes. "You're officially a Brawler."

~  
A/N: Wow, that took forever to write. Second chapter up, yay! Thankfully the school year is almost over, so updates will hopefully be more frequent. Please review, constructive criticism and reviews are magical and taste like Pop-Tarts! Thanks for reading :)


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